The humble former senator might not admit it, but he’s Tahlequah’s legend
FERRETING OUT THE FACTS
Ballenger’s focus on local history benefits generations of researchers OF HARRIERS AND THINCLADS
Once again, local athletes will be making a run for it
16
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FOR THE SPORT OF IT
Fall sports like kickball, pickleball and disc golf are finding new niches in Green Country
AN ACE UP THEIR SLEEVES
Alternative certificate program at NSU aims to fill teacher shortages
Note from the Editor
It’s time to “fall back” on Grapevine again!
Autumn has always been my favorite time of the year. And in Cherokee County, we can count on certain things to happen.
The leaves along Highway 10 transform into hues from deep gold to bright red. Though it might be hard to believe right now, days and nights turn cooler, ushering in a crispness in the air that I call “football weather.” One thing Okies might be mourning, though, is the loss of the traditional OU-OSU “Bedlam” game.
Fall is also the spooky season, when witches, ghouls and goblins shamble out of closets to bring on Halloween. Then comes Thanksgiving, when we share our bounty with others. Not far behind is Christmas, a time to embrace the notion of “peace on Earth, and goodwill to all people.”
But first, we bring to you our 11th edition of the reimagined Tahlequah Grapevine Magazine. We launched it in the first quarter of 2023, and it has come to be a source of anticipation for readers. The writers are some of the best whose work has ever graced our pages. The digital edition will appear first on our website, before month’s end; the printed version may not arrive until early October. It’s somewhat of a coincidence, but the features are nostalgic, historical, and important.
Our cover story on retired Sen. Herb Rozell is written by Nancy Garber, who has served TDP in several capacities before retiring as NSU public relations director several years ago. Besides myself, Nancy’s about the only person I’d trust to do that story justice – and when you read it, you’ll understand why.
Former district attorney and retired NSU educator Greg Combs weighs in again, this time with a feature on thinclads and harriers. For the athletically uneducated, those are folks who run track. And Mary Hanafee takes a crack at some outdoor sports, too – like kickball, pickle ball and disc golf, all finding new niches in Green Country.
Eddie Glenn – a 14-year TDP veteran who now teaches at the University of Arkansas – continues his series on noted historian Thomas Ballenger. If all goes well, he’ll wrap up the three-parter in the winter edition. And finally, NSU Professor of Media Studies Dr. Dana Eversole explains the ACE Institute; you’ll have to read to find out.
We hope you enjoy reading Grapevine as much as we enjoyed producing it!
MEET THE EDITOR
Kim Poindexter has been a member of the TDP news team since 1985. She is in the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and received the 2022 Oklahoma Press Association Beachy Musselman Award. She has won more than 300 journalism awards on the national and state levels, both individually and as part of the team for TDP, which has been named CNHI’s Best Newspaper for five consecutive years. A noted editorial and column writer in Oklahoma, she was named OPA Editorial Writer of the Year in 2023, and by CNHI, Columnist of the Year. She and her husband, Chris, a facilities engineer, have an adult son, Cole, and a daughterin-law, Dani.
Retired Oklahoma State Sen. Herb Rozell and his wife, in their home in Tahlequah.
Photo by Nancy M Garber.
THE ESSENCE OF HERB ROZELL
The humble former senator might not admit it, but he’s Tahlequah’s legend.
By Nancy Garber
Nancy M. Garber, a University of Florida graduate, is a lifelong journalist and photographer. A former member of the TDP editorial and advertising teams, she retired from NSU as director of Communications and Marketing and still likes to pick up the pen and camera now and then.
PPeel back the layers of progress in Cherokee County for the past 50 years, and you’ll likely find Herb Rozell’s thumbprint.
From the four-lane highway to Fort Gibson, to rural fire departments, to the Tahlequah water treatment plant, Rozell accomplished what he set out to do as a freshman senator in 1977 — to “help make life better for people.”
He was elected to represent District 3 in the Oklahoma State Senate for seven consecutive terms, retiring in 2005 because of term limits. Regarded by many as a statesman — a title earned through hard work and not bestowed lightly – Rozell might have otherwise continued to represent his district longer than 28 years. As assistant majority floor leader and a member of several committees, he was an influential legislator who consistently authored bills and secured funding for programs and projects with lasting benefit to his district and the state of Oklahoma.
Nevertheless, during our recent interview at the home where he and his wife, Carol, have lived most of their married life, Rozell — who will turn 94 in November — wondered, why write an article about him?
“I never want to sound like I’m bragging about what I did
while I was in the Senate,” he said. “I just wanted to serve. It was my duty. People deserve help to make life better.”
No brag, just fact, I replied: “An entire generation and a lot of newcomers don’t realize you laid the groundwork for much of what we take for granted around here today.”
We first met through an act of kindness on his part in summer 1986. A newcomer myself and recently hired as Daily Press staff photographer, I took the distress call one morning from co-worker Kim Poindexter, who’d run out of gas en route to interview then-House Speaker W.P. “Bill” Willis. Standing off Choctaw Street reviewing our options, we were approached by a man in a pickup truck who stopped to offer help. Kim accepted, and he soon returned with fuel, just in time to hear her lament being late for an interview. Did I mention, no cell phones back then? The man paused pouring gas into her tank and asked, “Kim, you don’t know who I am, do you?”
Maybe we should have been embarrassed for failing to recognize him in everyday street attire, but how often does a guy willing to interrupt his day to assist a couple of strangers by the roadside turn out to be a state senator?
His desire to serve people stems from his upbringing.
Herb Rozell served 28 years in the Oklahoma State Senate representing District 3.
Born during the Great Depression to Horace and Myrtle Rozell, he was one of 10 children raised on the family farm in Welling, east of Tahlequah. The Rozells supplemented their income by driving the school bus to town. He attended a one-room rural schoolhouse through eighth grade, but when time came to transfer to high school in Tahlequah, he considered dropping out, which a lot of kids did in those days. His father’s words kept him on the path to education.
“He said if I didn’t go to school, I’d have to cut wood the rest of my life, and he would make me the best woodcutter in the county,” Rozell said.
Rozell was offered a scholarship to attend Oklahoma State University but instead chose Northeastern and was recruited by coach Tom Rousey to play baseball. In his senior year, he was assigned to play each of the nine team positions during a nine-inning game, the only NSU player ever to do so. His .365 batting average attracted the attention of a New York Yankees scout.
“He called the Welling store three times to offer me a contract,” Rozell said, but he had to decline. “The draft board told me if I signed, I’d be drafted into the service in 10 days.”
After graduating in 1954 with a double major in physical education and elementary education, he taught and coached in Haskell and then Tahlequah, where he was eventually named high school principal.
Rozell entered public service determined to help improve conditions in rural areas, where life was often tough. Some homes had neither electricity nor running water, and communities had no means for fighting fires. Rough roads made travel challenging.
“Because of the way I was raised, all these things were in my mind as I looked for ways to make things better for people,” he said.
He headed to the state capital, focused on improving roads, funding rural fire departments and enhancing education.
“One of the first things I wanted to do was widen the road from Tahlequah to Fort Gibson,” he said. That had long been considered a dangerous stretch of highway.
He secured funding to establish rural fire departments, so residents there could meet requirements for homeowners’ insurance. He initiated a rural school advisory committee so superintendents could collaborate on preparing students for transition to the city high school. He also found the means to establish and enhance rural school libraries.
While teaching school, Rozell had to attend night classes at the University of Arkansas to earn an administrator’s certificate. Then the chair of the state regents later told him the program could only be offered in Oklahoma by OU or OSU.
“I didn’t think that was right, so I said, ‘let’s change it,’” he said.
Now the program is also offered at NSU.
“We need to take programs to the people, where it’s convenient. I wasn’t afraid to voice opposition to those in positions of power if it meant making things better for people,” he said.
That was again proved true when he stepped in to rescue the Oklahoma College of Optometry from the clutches of OU, retaining it at NSU. He recognized the value of education as a deterrent to crime and spearheaded a literacy program for prisoners, which became the model for the NSU Center for the Study of Literacy.
Upon his retirement, NSU recognized Rozell as a “champion of education” and renamed the University Center
Herb driving an antique car, downtown Tahlequah parade, 1990.
The 1953 Redmen baseball team. Herb Rozell is fourth from the left in the front row.
ballroom in his honor. A plaque outside the door quotes him: “The person who goes into politics is nothing more than a servant of the people.”
The numerous highlights of his career include legislation that established a community sentencing program for nonviolent offenders and legislation that created the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission to protect the Illinois River. His efforts made possible the preservation of Tahlequah’s historic Thompson House; procured funds for the city of Tahlequah water treatment plant and the bypass around Tahlequah; replaced decrepit bridges across Lake Tenkiller, and established the Oklahoma Production Center.
“As you serve, people will mention things to you that cause you to want to do more things for people. I worked to help as many people as I could, directly and indirectly,” he said.
For instance, inspired by a constituent whose child was deaf, he authored a bill that required hospitals to check the hearing of newborns before they go home.
As state senator, Rozell became the go-to guy for newly elected lawmakers and even wrote a freshman orientation program outlining the basics, from what to wear and how to speak on the Senate floor to putting forth legislation.
During the time he served, legislators reached across the aisle to help one another accomplish goals to help their constituents, he recalled. He was a Democrat, but some of his best friends were Republicans.
“It disappoints me that there is so much hate today. We would debate on the Senate floor, and after the close of session, we’d go to dinner together,” he said.
That was regardless of party affiliation, often in the homes of members who lived near the capitol.
He got along with others in government because he was forthright.
“I never sugarcoated the truth. If there was a downside to something, I told people,” he said. “Trust is very important. People want to know they can depend on what you tell them.”
Spoken like a true statesman. G
Herb met his wife Carol while driving the school bus from Welling to Tahlequah. They married in 1954.
With former Oklahoma Speaker of the House Larry Adair and former State Representative Bob Ed Culver following a meeting with constituents.
Tom Ballenger in 1917, when he was accepted into the Officer Training Camp. He would eventually be eliminated because of colorblindness. The next year, desperate to take part in the Great War (World War I), he talked Tahlequah draft board officials into categorizing him with men younger than his 35 years. He was accepted into the Army on Nov. 11, 1918, Armistice Day, the last official day of the war. Photo courtesy of Dr. Brad Agnew, previously printed in the Oklahoma Chronicles.
Tom Ballenger in 1916 when he was just beginning his university teaching career at Northeastern Normal School, which evolved into NSU. Photo from NSU Special Collections/Archives.
Ferreting out the facts
Ballenger’s focus on local history benefits generations of researchers
By R.E. “Eddie” Glenn
SEddie Glenn was Tahlequah Daily Press’ final “official photographer”, and worked in that capacity and as a writer at TDP for 14 years. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in Fort Smith, where he teaches at the University of Arkansas. He has published two books: “Bigfoot Comes to Town: theory, Myth and Alleged Truths About Eastern Oklahoma’s Most Wanted,” and “The Sovereign, the Tribe: An Essay on a Relationship.”
Several years ago, David and Missy Earl took on a mission to keep the story of the Cherokee Nation Colored School alive in the collective memory of Northeastern Oklahoma.
Created at the end of the Civil War to provide education to the progeny of emancipated slaves of Cherokee plantation owners, the school had been all but forgotten, the Earls believed. As they delved deeper into the history of the school, they were — like many other researchers before them — aided by the work of a man who died almost 40 years ago, but who is still one of the best resources of historical knowledge in the Tahlequah area: Thomas Lee Ballenger.
In 1952, Ballenger had written an article in the Oklahoma Historical Society’s publication, “The Chronicles of Oklahoma,” about the Cherokee Nation Colored School. Despite its contemporary lack of social acceptability, the original name of the school is still used for the sake of clarity and historical accuracy. That article helped inform the Earls about the potential presence of previously unacknowledged graves on the grounds of the school.
The search for more detailed information in Ballenger’s field notes led the Earls to the Newberry Library in Chicago, where Ballenger’s notes and research materials are
archived. There, they realized just how meticulous he was about preserving history.
“It’s hard to explain just how meticulous he was with his notes,” said Missy. “He had 14 huge genealogy charts of Cherokee families, and in teeny tiny handwriting, he wrote stories about each individual on those family trees. He had rare documents, copies of rare documents, and first-hand narratives about the Goingsnake Massacre.”
Regular readers of the Tahlequah Grapevine will recall the story in the fall 2024 edition about that gunfight. Taking place in what is now Adair County, it resulted in the most deaths of U.S. marshals in one battle in the entire history of that federal law enforcement agency.
“Everything he wrote about, he included time, place, person being interviewed, and all the people involved,” Missy said. “Anything he had doubts about, he would annotate with notes, and explain why he thought the information might be questionable.”
Missy said the Newberry Library is digitizing Ballenger’s notes so researchers can use his archives via internet. But at the time of the Earls’ visit, there were some materials they deemed “culturally sensitive” and were considering withholding from digitization for fear of offending descendants
of people written about in those notes.
Missy said she suggested to the Newberry archivists that they go ahead and digitize the materials, as they are a part of Cherokee Nation history, for better or for worse, and should be made available to researchers. Just from having seen so much of Ballenger’s work, she believes Ballenger himself would want those materials to be made available.
“Ballenger was able to talk to people who actually lived the events of the Cherokee Nation that we know about, but none of us actually experienced,” said Missy. “He really is the unsung hero of the preservation of Cherokee Nation history.”
So why, an astute reader may wonder, are the archives of such an important scholar of Cherokee Nation and Tahlequah history kept 700 miles away, in Chicago’s Newberry Library?
The answer to that question involves a tension — a disagreement of sorts — that is likely as old as university education itself. It’s a tension between those who oversee the finances and day-to-day operations of universities (we’ll call them administrators) and those who research and teach the actual knowledge disseminated in the classrooms (we’ll call those folks faculty). The priorities of these two groups rarely align.
While he was still a professor of history at Northeastern State University, Dr. Brad Agnew wrote a 1982 article about Ballenger in “The Chronicles of Oklahoma” that — given the word limits and advertising-focused nature of anything likely ever to be written about Ballenger again — is arguably the most comprehensive history of Ballenger’s life outside of his own memoirs.
In that article, Agnew quoted Ballenger on his personal philosophy about history: “I am not so much interested in rewriting history that dozens of others have already written about as I am in ferreting out a portion of history first-hand and writing something that others have not recorded, like purely local history or regional history. After all, grassroots history records the real life of a people; what the king and other types of upper crust do is not half as important as many historians seem to think.”
In a 2025 interview, Agnew discussed Ballenger’s enact-
ment of that philosophy as, after his 1951 retirement from the NSU History Department, he set out to find the stories and artifacts that had constituted Cherokee society since the Trail of Tears.
“He had a falling out with the Northeastern administration at the time,” said Agnew. “He had donated several artifacts to the university, and one of them was a kettle he had acquired that had come from the Mackey Salt Works.”
Salt works were locations where salty water was naturally available and large metal kettles were used to evaporate the water away, leaving solid salt to be used for the many purposes for which salt can be used. The Mackey Salt Works was a well-known salt producer, trading post, and popular gathering location on what, in the 19th century, was known as the “Illinois Bayou.” It is, of course, now known as the Illinois River.
“NSU sent the kettle to the junkyard, and [Ballenger] salvaged it,” said Agnew. “When I saw it, it was in his back yard.”
So, in 1969, no doubt rejecting lucrative offers from private collectors, Ballenger donated his personal library and collection of research materials to the Newberry Library in Chicago. He was familiar with their reputation as a research library from his time at the University of Chicago, where he worked on a master’s degree in the 1920s. The Newberry is renowned for its Indigenous American archives and collections.
“What Dr. Ballenger knew about the Cherokee Nation and the Tahlequah area was not just what he learned from books,” said Agnew. “He actually lived the history of the area.”
Ballenger died in 1987, just one month short of his 105th birthday. Through his life’s work and his foresight in protecting that work, his knowledge is still available today to anyone willing to put in the time to examine his notes.
“He was passionate about the history he was recording, down to the minutiae,” said David Earl, after his visit to the Newberry Library’s Ballenger Collection. “It’s clear, once you look at his notes, that he was very interested in preserving all of that information for future researchers.”
This is the second in a series. The third and final installment is scheduled to publish in the Winter 2025 Grapevine. G
Missy Earl in the Newberry Library in Chicago in August, 2024. Missy and her husband David visited the library to examine the archives of Dr. Tom Ballenger. He donated his notes and research material to the Newberry Library in the 1960s because of a disagreement in research philosophies between Ballenger and the administration of Northeastern State College (now NSU).
Photo courtesy David and Missy Earl.
Dr. Tom Ballenger in 1947, with his career as a history professor at Northeastern well underway. He would end up spending almost seven decades teaching, researching, and recording the history of the Cherokee Nation and the Tahlequah area. Photo courtesy NSU Special Collections/Archives.
Of harriers and thinclads
Once again, local athletes will be making a run for it
By Greg Combs
IIt was my good fortune to grow up in the Mediterranean climes of our Pacific coast. There were many weekends when a coin flip would decide whether to recreate at Malibu or Santa Monica beaches or the 7,000-foot snowfields of nearby Frazier Park.
As the son of an Okie family that had migrated from Cherokee County in 1931, the fields and orchards of the Golden State were my home. One thing for sure: They ended up at a wonderful spot.
Outdoor sports were happening year-round. Old headlines told of feats by thinclads — track teams — and harriers, which were cross country runners. It was common for 2,000 fans to attend a dual track meet between two high schools. The 1964 Granada Hills High School yearbook had several sports pages. There was not a single female face in that section. Valley girls were not expected to sweat.
There is a consensus regarding which business constitutes the world’s “oldest profession,” but disagreement as to the earliest sport on the planet. An argument could be made for the combative competitions, from fisticuffs to sword fighting. When a pause came in early man’s proclivity for slaughtering his neighbors, folks enjoyed knocking the crap out of each other for sport.
The “strength” sports were those like throwing the discus, putting the shot, hurling the javelin and the like. Early man, when he could take a break from hunting and gathering, threw objects such as logs, big stones — the famous Oomanuuf stone — for distance and smaller
Greg Combs is a retired educator and served as District Attorney during his career at Tahlequah. He formerly wrote for the Pictorial Press, a predecessor to the Tahlequah Daily Press, after serving four years in the U.S Air Force during the war in Vietnam.
Kerry (Allen) Mazzone (front), joined by Laura (Wilhite) Franklin and Amy (Hix) Dixon, were runners for coach Jamelle Meigs’ THS cross country teams in the late ‘90s.
Two underclassmen show promise of assaulting THS record books. Kaden Turner and James Walker (shown here) paced area track runners, with Turner leading cross country. Walker is the nephew of former champion Brian Gosnell.
stones for accuracy. Bowling would be one modern example, along with the hammer throw and those already mentioned.
The simple idea of running the fastest, be it from the river to the cave or from Athens to Marathon, must take the cake. And applying the ancient adage, circa 1860, that “tie goes to the runner,” it is hereby declared running is the senior competition on the face of the earth. Or as written in antiquity, “to the lion goes the slowest.”
So, not having seen girls compete, it was eye-opening for me to move to Tahlequah in 1971 and find girls played ball. They could run, catch, hit and they could hoop. All this came to mind in June, when our local university announced the “largest expansion of its athletics department in school history, adding seven varsity teams over the next two years.” These include track and field and cross country for men and women.
“For years, local high school student athletes in these sports had to attend other regional universities,” a school press release asserted. “And now they will be able to choose Northeastern State and we can keep these talents close to home.”
After more than half a century, we will once again see thinclads and harriers at the collegiate level, hopefully featuring some of this area’s talent, which has included some of the finest athletes this part of Oklahoma has produced. The institutional memory at NSU does not include the reason running was discontinued. It could not have been the cost.
Early Man: “Son, how could you lose that race?”
Early Son: “Coach made us wear sandals and loin cloths. The other guys wore neither.”
It’s not that simple. Scholarships, equipment, track upkeep and salaries figure into budgets. The culprit in the disappearance of NSU running sports was likely the metric system. All older outdoor running tracks were 440 yards. But the sport turned metric. In 1974, Oregon State University built America’s
first 400-meter track. Others followed, but many kept their old tracks and remarked their relay passing zones, finish lines, hurdle placements and staggered starting lines.
It was puzzling, and rather than build new tracks or have the math department remark existing ones, many colleges simply discontinued track and field. No runners? No need for cross country, either.
This is a tribute to all those young runners who left to compete elsewhere after high school, especially those who did not come back – like Kerry Allen, a 1999 Tahlequah High School graduate. She could be seen running in town in any season, and was a member of Janelle Meigs’ cross country team. Allen went to the University of Arkansas, where she won the 2000 Hogeye Marathon in a time qualifying her for the Boston Marathon. At age 19, she finished 49th among women. There were 15,606 runners that day in Boston.
Allen graduated from Arkansas, then secured a doctorate at the University of Miami. Today, Dr. Kerry (Allen) Mazzone is a physical therapist in Tampa, Florida. She became a triathlon athlete after Fayetteville and is remembered by those in the know as among the finest athletes produced in these parts.
More recently, a remarkable athlete from Tahlequah broke records, made headlines and was a middle distance and cross country champion. Trae Baker was a whirlwind. In a just world, he should be parade marshal at the next Tahlequah parade. At the 2024 state track meet, he won at 800 meters and 3,200 meters and was nipped in the 1,600-meter race at the wire. He set THS records in all three events – this after capturing the 2023 State 5A cross country championship.
Like Allen before him, Trae Baker took his talents to the Natural State. He broke records set a generation earlier. Brian Gosnell led THS track teams in 2003-’04, which included seven school record holders. Champions at a school that had no track, their success prompted construction of the school’s fine 400-meter oval. The old NSU track north of Gable Field had become a community walking track after the university abandoned the sport. THS had competed on that track in the old days, thereafter simply doing without. Gosnell still holds the THS record at 5,000 meters.
Gosnell, like Trae Baker, was cross country champion in Class 5A, then the state’s largest class. He ran cross country at Oklahoma State, then attended dental school at Creighton University in Omaha. Dr. Gosnell now practices in Tulsa. His long strides led his peers, and can be seen in his nephew, James Walker, who along with newcomers Kaden Turner and Libby Baker — younger sister of Trae Baker — show promise of championships, records and great days to come.
Tahlequah has a Hall of Fame coach in Elzy Miller, who deserves a parade of his own. So many fine runners could not be recognized in this limited space. When you start making lists, some get slighted.
There have been many, and some went away. Now local folks will be able to see their thinclads and harriers stay home and perform at the collegiate level. It is long overdue. G
Brian Gosnell led THS track and cross country teams a generation ago. His middle-distance records stood for more than 20 years before falling to Trae Baker. Both runners were state cross country champions.
FOR THE SPORT OF IT:
Fall sports like kickball, pickleball and disc golf are finding new niches in Green Country
By Mary Hanafee
Mary Hanafee is a correspondent for the Tahlequah Daily Press and a mental health counselor in her candidacy with a passion for storytelling. Her work has been featured in the anthologies, including “Speak Your Mind: Woody Guthrie Poets Celebrate Freedom of Speech 2019” and “Word Daubers: Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry 2019 Summer Poetry Challenge.”
up the game in Southern California. He said disc golf has exploded in popularity, with more than 16,000 courses nationwide. He has already designed others in Arkansas, but this one has been years in the making.
“I’ve been waiting 10 years to do it, and I’m so excited to see it grow here,” said Pitchford. “It’s fun, family friendly and always a great addition to any community. Rule No. 1 is have fun.”
CCool weather and shorter days may signal the end of summer sports, but for many in Green Country, fall is the perfect season to get outside and try something new.
From disc golf to women’s kickball to the fast-growing game of pickleball, residents are finding fresh ways to stay active and connected.
At Sparrow Hawk Campground in Cherokee County, a new disc golf course is opening that blends competition with accessibility. Designed by longtime player and course creator Tommy Pitchford Jr., the short course winds through the campground and is open year-round.
“In the office there’s a donation box; you drop $5, grab a scorecard and you can play any time of year,” said Pitchford. “It’s a low-cost sport, and anyone can go grab a three- or fivedisc starter kit at Walmart and get going.”
Pitchford has been playing since 1977, when he first picked
The campground will sell supplies, and the course features quirky signature holes that can be played by amateurs and pros alike. Players don’t need tee times, and with glow discs available, some even head out after dark.
“This is one of the few courses where you can camp and play all weekend,” said Pitchford. “It gets you outside, exploring the campground, relieving stress and just enjoying life.”
While disc golf is taking root on the edge of town, Amanda Morris is helping revive a playground favorite inside the city. Inspired by her years as a military spouse, Morris launched a women’s-only kickball league this fall in Tahlequah.
“When my husband was in the military, we moved every 18 months, and there was always a kickball league wherever we went,” said Morris. “It gave us that outlet and sense of community. When he got out, I wanted to create that again.”
The league’s debut season drew about 90 women and eight teams, blending fun with a competitive edge. Registration is
Tahlequah’s new kickball team is specifically for women, and the sport is growing in popularity.
open to both free agents and full teams, but Morris said the focus is on community more than cliques.
“Friendships can fall away after high school or college, when life gets busy with work or family,” said Morris. “This is a chance to be active, meet new people and have fun, no matter your size, age or skill level.”
Morris hopes the league will grow into a community-wide event, complete with family support, sponsorships, charity raffles and local business partnerships.
“Moms are always there for everyone else. This gives us a chance to be supported, too,” said Morris.
For others, fall is a time to pick up a paddle. Pickleball, a sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong, has quietly gained traction across town.
Diane Weston started playing about two years ago after semi-retiring. She now participates in games at
Markoma Gym, a partnership between local players and the Cherokee Nation.
“They’ve been really accommodating, letting us use their courts,” said Weston. “We also play at Kaufman Park.”
What keeps Weston coming back is the openness of the sport.
“There are all kinds of levels, and everyone is welcome. It’s multigenerational, social and fun. I’m not a great pickleball player, but I love the people and the atmosphere,” said Weston.
Though most games are organized by word of mouth, Weston encourages newcomers to show up and give it a try.
“Somebody will help you, especially if you’re a beginner,” said Weston. “It’s a great way to be active, make friends and enjoy the season.” G
A new disc golf course blends competition with accessibility at Sparrow Hawk Campground.
Pickleball teams are springing up all over Cherokee County. Here, enjoying the sport are, from left: Bill Rosner, Mark Nelson, Paige Keys, and Tek Tea.
By Dana Eversole
The ACE Summer Institute guest speaker, Joe Dombrowski, engages with participants during the ACE Summer Institute at Northeastern State University. Photo copyright Northeastern State University.
A hidden gem is tucked away on Northeastern State University’s Tahlequah campus.
A An ACE up their sleeves Alternative certificate program at NSU aims to fill teacher shortages
This jewel is the Alternative Certification for Educators Institute, on the second floor of Bagley Hall in the College of Education.
Dr. Renee Cambiano started ACE in spring 2020, making cold calls to superintendents and principals across several states. The professor of education and director of ACE said the shortage of teachers was making it tough for schools to fill vacancies.
“There was a shortage of teachers, and the ACE Institute could provide the courses needed in a short time for certification,” she said.
She figured out the secretaries were the individuals to talk to, and sending them the information about ACE prompted the calls to start coming in.
“Enrollment soared,” said Cambiano.
She wanted to offer a flexible pathway for individuals
Dr. Dana Eversole is a professor of Media Studies and chair of the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Northeastern State University. Eversole worked as news editor for the Daily Press for two years before taking the job at NSU. She has been a stringer throughout the years for the Press. During her tenure at the Press, she won many awards, including a Sweepstakes award for investigative reporting from the Oklahoma Associated Press. She was recently named Oklahoma Outstanding Journalism Educator by the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists. Eversole is serving her second term on the Tahlequah School Board.
who already held a degree – particularly professionals from non-education fields – to transition into teaching careers through one of the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s alternative certification pathways.
“The ACE Institute at NSU was born from the university’s commitment to addressing teacher shortages and providing career changers with a streamlined, accessible pathway into the education field. The program’s foundation rests on meeting state certification mandates via online, accelerated courses,” she said.
Over time, NSU has enriched it through digital micro-credentials and immersive events, such as the Summer Institute, to support teaching success and community building.
“The ACE Institute is significant for several educational, social and workforce-related reasons, particularly within the context of Oklahoma’s teacher shortage and the broader national need for qualified educators,” said Cambiano.
The Institute has many duties, like addressing critical teacher shortages.
“Oklahoma, along with many other states, has been facing a serious shortage of certified teachers, particularly in high-need areas such as STEM, special education and rural schools,” said Cambiano.
She said it also creates pathways for career changers.
“Many professionals want to move into teaching but can’t spend two or more years earning a traditional education degree. This works,” she said.
Cambiano and Dr. Vanessa Anton, dean of the College of Education, were awarded a $2.5 million grant from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to support innovative teacher preparation efforts at NSU. This funding enabled the College of Education to expand its capacity by hiring Ana Landsaw as grant director and Amy Johnson as admissions coordinator.
“A central feature of the grant is the Teaching Fellows Mentor Program, created through a collaborative partnership with Tahlequah Public Schools. This program is designed to bridge the gap between academic preparation and the realities of the classroom by placing Teaching Fellows directly in K-12
ACE Institute students share a laugh during a breakout session at the ACE Summer Institute.
Photo copyright Northeastern State University.
The ACE Institute team celebrates a successful completion of scholarship disbursement. From left are: Cheyenne Marshall, Renee Cambiano, Amy Johnson, and Ana Landsaw.
learning environments,” said Cambiano.
Unlike traditional shortterm student teaching, fellows are embedded in classrooms for the entire academic year, where they co-teach alongside veteran mentor teachers. This model ensures that fellows gain daily, hands-on experience with lesson planning, classroom management, differentiated instruction and student assessment, all while receiving consistent support and feedback.
The grant makes this initiative possible by covering the full salaries of the Teaching Fellows, ensuring they can dedicate themselves to teaching without the financial barriers often associated with certification pathways.
“In addition, mentor teachers receive stipends in recognition of the time, expertise and professional guidance they provide. University faculty mentors, particularly those specializing in STEM fields, are also funded to support fellows in connecting research-based instructional practices with classroom application. This three-tiered mentorship, mentor teacher, university faculty mentor and the school community, creates a strong support network for fellows as they transition into the teaching profession,” said Cambiano.
The overarching goal of the ACE team is to use this program as the foundation for a statewide model of alternative teacher preparation. By combining rigorous training, immersive co-teaching experiences, and ongoing mentorship, the program addresses both the urgent teacher shortage in Oklahoma and the need for highly skilled educators who are prepared to thrive in diverse classrooms. The vision is to establish a sustainable, replicable approach that prioritizes practical experience, professional collaboration and subject-area expertise, ultimately strengthening the quality of teaching and learning across the state.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to Tahlequah Public Schools for their partnership and commitment to this initiative. With their support, we are not only preparing the next generation of teachers but also making a lasting impact on the community and the students we serve,” said Cambiano.
Anton said the ACE Institute has been a win-win for NSU and the surrounding communities.
“ACE benefits both NSU’s College of Education and our surrounding communities in several important ways. For NSU, it reinforces our long-standing reputation as a top leader in teacher preparation in the state by expanding our ability to reach and support individuals entering the profession through alternative pathways. It allows us to remain innovative and responsive, aligning our programs with the critical workforce needs of schools and communities, which is directly connected to our
mission,” Anton.
She said for communities, the ACE Institute directly addresses the critical teacher shortage by creating a flexible, cost-effective pathway for qualified career changers to transition into teaching. This not only helps fill classrooms with well-prepared educators, but also ensures that children across the state have access to high-quality instruction. By prioritizing the immediate needs of school districts, the ACE Institute strengthens the teacher pipeline, supports local schools, and contributes to the long-term vitality of communities.
“Our current grant will end in December of 2026; however, the ACE Institute and its core services were established prior to receiving grant funding. In fact, the program initially grew out of the dedication and hard work of our faculty and staff, who were deeply committed to addressing teacher shortages and providing quality alternative pathways into the profession. While the grant has significantly enhanced what we have been able to provide to students through services and scholarships, we are actively exploring new resources and opportunities both internally and externally, including new grants and new partnerships with stakeholders,” said Anton. G
Dr. Renee Cambiano, director of the ACE Institute shares insights on teacher preparation during the ACE Summer Institute at Northeastern State University. Photo copyright Northeastern State University.
